As hoteliers and resorts rethink their retail shops in more relevant modern and inspired ways, David Ashen, founder and partner of interior design and brand consulting firm dash design, looks at how some brands are complementing and enhancing the hotel experience by creating sales venues and retail markets that connect to the property's brand and the local culture, while being meaningful to the guest. READ MORE

A number of reputational and institutional concerns have cropped up that make it harder for major hotel chains to attract top tier talent at all levels. This is particularly true of high quality younger candidates, for whom the perks offered by tech companies, including free lunch, casual offices and unlimited vacation, have become a defacto expectation. This article looks at the ways that the largest hotel organizations can dispel myths, overcome hurdles, and create meaningful engagement with the employees they most want to attract. READ MORE

Artificial intelligence (AI) has advanced to make it viable in businesses applications due to computing power, availability of data and underlying technologies (digitization, analytics, big data, deep learning). While AI is currently present in the hotel industry, applications are often focused on customer experience leaving opportunity for the industry to employ AI in central business processes like revenue management and demand forecasting. This article examines AI efforts in sales across industries to see where the hotel industry can adopt, and summarizes approaches for the hotel industry to prepare to integrate AI into sales functions. READ MORE

More Visibility = More Sales. It's really that simple. This simple principle is why PR is the best way to affect real change in your current sales conversion rate; it is a marketing tool that is designed specifically to increase awareness of your company in the hotel industry. It gets you in front of the people who might, one day soon, be your first customer (or your 500th!). This article will provide you with the ONLY two marketing tactics that start-ups need to boost sales of their tech solution to hotels today! READ MORE

Food waste claims one of every three calories produced. From an environmental point of view, it's a waste of land, water, and energy. For hotels, it's a waste of money. While reducing food waste is a simple concept, getting started can seem a logistical challenge. To help hotels develop and implement an effective food waste plan, World Wildlife Fund and the American Hotel and Lodging Association worked with dozens of hotels to test strategies and develop a free resource, HotelKitchen.org. By laying out simple steps, the toolkit can help hotels start saving food and money today. READ MORE

When disaster strikes in the hospitality industry or something bad happens, bad publicity almost inevitably follows. A hospitality player might try to take actions to mitigate the impact of this publicity. However, in today's day and age, once the information is out in the news or social media, it may never be erased - or forgotten. The information may sit there for years misinforming and causing damage to a brand. When does publicity cross the line from being merely damaging information about a hospitality industry player - or any business - to information that they might seek to rectify through a lawsuit. READ MORE

Before, luxury hotels were defined in a simple rating system consisting of one to five stars. As today's consumer and the technology that consumer uses evolves, so too does the very definition of “luxury.” According to a report published by Skift Trends and the International Luxury Travel Market (ILTM), the upscale travel sector is experiencing challenges to offer high-end customers the ever- growing facets that comprise of a luxury travel experience. The most challenging aspect of marketing a luxury travel experience is that every consumer has a different definition of what luxury really means. READ MORE

Do you feel the undercurrent of change that's taking place in our industry? While it may be a seller's market and things are robust right now, buyers are changing how they connect, and how they buy - and making prospecting much more difficult than ever before. It may not seem like a big deal now, when the market is at record highs. But when the tide turns - and it always does - back to a buyer's market, will you be prepared for the new age of buyer behavior? READ MORE

Cultivating asset value for resorts is all about capturing and capitalizing on the unique revenue opportunities their distinctive business models create. However, compared with standard hotel operation, where revenue management processes are well-established based on industry-wide practices, resorts are challenged by much more complicated business models and a diverse range of revenue streams. READ MORE

When does your hotel remodel trigger an obligation to become ADA compliant? From ensuring the correct number of disabled-accessible guest rooms to pool and spa accessibility, attorneys with Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, Christine Samsel, Jonathan Sandler and Nick Santucci, address key questions and provide answers on making sure your updates are ADA-compliant. Read more in their latest article... READ MORE

Owners as stakeholders of a hotel asset realize that continuous revenue generation and profit retention are the only paths to getting a decent return on their investment. Not for nothing have they poured big dollars in their hotel project. However, it is one of the ironies of diminishing revenues of a failing enterprise that often the business never looks right under their noses - at their capital commitments to understand the revenue erosion. That capital budgeting literally is a blueprint to determining how well an enterprise uses its assets to generate revenues is nevertheless a grossly underutilized phenomenon. A look at how to harness this powerful strategy. READ MORE

From a 'set it and forget it' approach to dynamic daily rates, revenue managers have seen a dramatic shift in hotel pricing. Learning from the airlines decades ago, the hospitality industry quickly realized it needed to build a yield management system to spot trends over time. But the process of selling the right room to the right guest at the right time didn't end there. Four key factors - technology, demographics, consumer behaviors and markets - made the process even more complex. In this piece by hospitality veteran Inger Oliver, learn how studying the right insights can help revenue managers succeed in today's complex marketplace. READ MORE

Recent studies show that brands using automation software have seen 80% growth in lead generation and 77% increase in conversion. The numbers suggest that automation software is great for the bottom line, but is it a great experience for your guests? Good automation should make your more effective. It will free up some time while not compromising the authenticity of your engagement. Take the time needed to be spent tracking the interactions and results of automated engagements, improving results and optimizing the opportunities for the personal touch. READ MORE

As Baby Boomers retire, Millennials are moving into key positions in the workplace involving business travel. So how do you attract and retain their attention? Artificial Intelligence is one technology being deployed to target this generation of tech-savvy managers who essentially had tablets or smart phones in their crib. From augmented reality and voice search (think Amazon's “Alexa”) to chatbots, the ability to provide instantaneous responses leveraging continually evolving technology is going to be one of the key ways the hospitality industry stays current with a generation who breaks the mold when it comes to consumption of pretty much everything. READ MORE

Hospitality sales and marketing requires much more than a sharp website or attractive brochure, as valuable as those items are. Through embracing a comprehensive approach to sales and marketing, hospitality organizations can identify and build new user groups, while differentiating oneself from the competition. These initiatives include forging relationships with local business, nonprofit and charitable groups, as well as public service departments; and encouraging and supporting the volunteer work of staff members. These efforts can help drive occupancy and revenues and enhance brand awareness. READ MORE